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Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
'Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone '''is the first book in the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling. The book was first published by Bloomsbury London on 26th June 1997. The book follows Harry Potter during his first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry where he gets involved in the plot to find the Philosopher's Stone. The book was adapted into a film in 2001. It is also known as the Sorcerer's Stone. Development and Publication J.K. Rowling came up with the idea when she was on a train travelling to London. She stated that the "idea fell into my head" and so she "began to write the Philosopher's Stone that evening". She spent six years creating the book and then with the help of an agent, she sent it to twelve publishers who each rejected it, some because they thought if had too many words for a children's book. Eventually, luck struck when Barry Cunningham, who was building a portfolio of new fantasy books for Bloomsbury Children's Books thought it was a good idea and recommended it to them. Bloomsbury's chief executive gave it to his eight year old daughter to read before he accepted it and she said it was "so much better than anything else". Bloomsbury agreed to publish the book which they did on 26th June 1997. They created 500 copies in the hope that booksellers would read it and then recommend it to buyers. 300 of the copies went to libraries. When it recieved the attention they were hoping for, they kept printing copies. Reviews soon came in for the book, with ''The Herald stating that "I have yet to find a child who can put it down" while The Guardian called it "a richly textured novel given lift-off by an inventive wit". The book went on to win many awards, including the 1997 National Book Award and a gold medal in the 9 to 11 year-olds category of the Nestlé Smarties Book Prize which made the book very well-known. The book won almost all the other major British awards that were decided by children. The book went on to appear on many lists including the Best Selling Fiction list by the New York Times. The Philosopher's Stone changed the children's novels genre with the New York Times having to create a children's section when it began to make children's novels more highly thought of. It gave other series such as Roald Dahl's novels the chance to be properly appreciated. The book has since been published in several editions, including the 10th Anniversary Edition by Scholastic. Plot On Hallowe'en when he was only one, Harry Potter's parents, James and Lily Potter were killed by Lord Voldemort who strangely disappears when he tried to kill Harry himself, who was left with a lightning bolt scar. Harry was sent to live with his aunt Petunia Dursley and her family by Albus Dumbledore and Minevra McGonagall while the wizarding world celebrated the apparent downfall of Voldemort. The Dursleys did not raise Harry kindly, and never told him he was a wizard. One day, Harry recieves a letter out the blue which the Dursley won't let him open. The letters kept coming until Vernon Dursley decided to move them to a hut on an island. On his eleventh birthday, Harry Potter finally discovers that he is a wizard who will be attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. His life changes forever as he visits magical places he never knew existed such as Diagon Alley, where he buys a wand, and Platform Nine and Three Quarters, where he travels on the Hogwarts Express. When he arrives at Hogwarts, he meets the Sorting Hat, who places him in Gryffindor. Finding new friends, Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger, Harry begins to learn magic by attending lessons such as Charms, Transfiguration and Potions. He even attends flying lessons which leads to him becoming the youngest Seeker in a century at Hogwarts to play Quidditch. However, when Harry, Ron and Hermione find out about the Philosopher's Stone, they begin to believe that someone plans to steal it. They also begin to realise that Lord Voldemort may still be alive, leading to the an encounter which places Harry in great danger. Reader's Guide * Chapter 1: The Boy Who Lived * Chapter 2: The Vanishing Glass * Chapter 3: The Letters from No One * Chapter 4: The Keeper of the Keys * Chapter 5: Diagon Alley * Chapter 6: The Journey from Platform Nine and Three-Quarters * Chapter 7: The Sorting Hat * Chapter 8: The Potions Master * Chapter 9: The Midnight Duel * Chapter 10: Hallowe’en * Chapter 11: Quidditch * Chapter 12: The Mirror of Erised * Chapter 13: Nicolas Flamel * Chapter 14: Norbert the Norwegian Ridgeback * Chapter 15: The Forbidden Forest * Chapter 16: Through the Trapdoor * Chapter 17: The Man with Two Faces Dedication : "For Jessica, who loves stories, for Anne, who loved them too, and for Di, who heard this one first." : : Rowling devoted the story to three relatives. Jessica is her daughter, Anne was her mother who had died a few years earlier and Diane "Di" is her younger sister. Notes and References Category:Real World Books